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Thursday, October 04, 2007

I recently started writing a paranormal blog, which covers subjects such as UFOs, hauntings and cryptozoology. For today's Thursday Thirteen, I thought it might be fun to list thirteen famous, unsolved UFO cases, and leave it up to you to decide what you think happened.

1... The 1989-90 Belgian Triangular UFO flap. Two Belgian police officers spotted a dark, triangular craft, which beamed powerful searchlights onto the ground. The Belgian Air Force tracked the object on radar, and dispatched an AWACS aircraft to investigate.

Weeks later, there were more reports of a triangular craft. Radar confirmed the craft, and the Belgian Air Force scrambled two F-16 jets, which detected an oval-shaped object via their on-board radar. As the F-16 pilots gave chase, it sped away and suddenly disappeared.

2... Radar operators at two military bases in the east of England (RAF Bentwaters and RAF Lakenheath) tracked numerous objects in August 1956. They moved at much higher speed than any known aircraft, and performed manoeuvres that no human pilot could withstand. Jets were sent to intercept them. The pilots had both radar and visual contact. USAF records emphasised there were no radar malfunctions or freak weather conditions. A pilot described the UFOs as "the damnedest thing I've ever seen".

3... RAF Bentwaters was also the scene of the Rendlesham Forest UFO incident. On the night of December 26-27, 1980, radar detected an unknown target. Officers from Bentwaters, a NATO base, and the nearby RAF Woodbridge, also a NATO base, saw an illuminated object descend into Rendlesham Forest, which encircled both bases. USAF personnel found a large triangular craft in a forest clearing, which sported multi-coloured lights, and some kind of landing gear. One patrolman said he saw humanoid figures within the craft. It shot off through the forest when approached, and animals at a nearby farm went into a frenzy. A second object was later seen, which glowed and broke into five separate parts. Subsequent investigation of the site showed depressions in the ground, and higher than average radiation levels.

4... October 1965 saw a full-scale military alert at Edwards Air Force Base in California, following visual and radar detection of twelve UFOs. F-106 jets were mobilized to intercept the objects, said to be solid craft, under intelligent control. The UFOs easily outpaced the F-106s. None of the highly trained military personnel at Edwards were able to identify the objects.

5... Stephen Michalak, a prospector, was at Falcon Lake, Manitoba, in May 1967. As he ate his lunch, a flock of geese began to act strangely. Directly ahead, Michalak saw two UFOs. One landed about 100 feet away. The other hovered ten feet above the ground. When a hatch opened, he heard voices. Approaching, he called out in several languages. No-one replied, and the hatch closed. Michalak touched the craft as it lifted off the ground. He was hurled back by a blast of hot air, which burned his clothing and left marks on his chest. Tearing off his burning clothing, he felt really ill. He headed for the highway, where he flagged down a passing RCMP patrol car, and later received medical treatment for his injuries.

6... The Hudson Valley UFO sightings, which occurred in New York state and Connecticut, between 1982-86, had an estimated 5,000 witnesses. The objects seen were V-shaped, boomerang-shaped or triangular, and at least 300 metres in size. The slow-moving UFOs were silent, except for an occasional low hum. The lights on the craft were powerful enough to illuminate the ground below.

7... The Knowles family travelled across the Nullarbor Plain, in Australia, during the January of 1988, and claimed they were pursued by a UFO. They said it picked their car up near Mundrabilla, before dropping it back onto the highway. Some two hours earlier, another driver, some 400 km away, also claimed his car was picked up and then dropped by an unseen object. Half an hour after the Knowles' encounter, some tuna fishermen in the Great Australian Bight claimed they were buzzed by a UFO. They were just 50 km from Mundrabilla.

8... In April 1977, police officers in Ohio spotted a structured UFO at low altitude, and gave chase. They pursued it for eighty-five miles, into Pennsylvania. They said it played a cat-and-mouse game with them. Several officers from other jurisdictions saw the object and joined the pursuit. Fighter planes arrived and gave chase to the object, which suddenly shot up and disappeared. The incident inspired the famous UFO chase scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

9... In Socorro, New Mexico, in 1964, patrolman Lonnie Zamora abandoned a vehicle pursuit, when he saw flames in the sky, and heard an explosion. Upon investigating, he saw an oval object on the ground, on legs or landing gear. He saw a red symbol on the craft, and two humanoid figures near it. When he approached, the humanoids and their craft promptly departed, with a roar and a flash of fire. Nearby brush caught fire, and four indentations were left by the object's landing gear. Scientific examination of the site found some unusual substances, and an area of fused sand. Officer Zamora was well-respected and known for his truthfulness and sobriety.

10... An English policeman encountered a strange craft in November 1980, at Todmorden in West Yorkshire. PC Alan Godfrey hoped to locate some cows seen running amok, before clocking off his night shift. He was about to turn off onto another road, when he thought he saw a bus slewed on its side. He drove towards it, for a better look. He was shocked to see a diamond-shaped craft hovering less than two metres above the road. Alarmed, he tried to call for back-up, but neither his handheld radio, nor his car's radio, would work.

He suddenly found himself some distance along the road, with no sign of the object. He realised there was a period of missing time - approximately 15-20 minutes - which he was unable to account for. The sole of one his boots had a mysterious split, and he had a red mark on his foot, which developed into an inflamed rash, needing medical treatment. Under hypnosis, the officer recounted being taken aboard the craft and examined by aliens, although he admitted the hypnosis itself could have suggested an abduction scenario. Several other police officers in the area at the time, also saw a UFO.

11... North Wales, January 1974. Numerous witnesses heard a very loud explosion, which rocked their houses. They thought a plane had crashed, and rushed outside. They were stunned to see blue and orange lights on the mountain. Local press were quickly on the scene, but the area was cordoned off, first by local police, and later, by Royal Air Force personnel. None of the officials would divulge any information.

A local nurse asked to attend the scene, was told a plane had crashed. She drove there with her two children in the car, as she was unable to find a babysitter. They were shocked to see a downed UFO. Just 200m from the craft, they were ordered to leave. All roads leading to the scene were closed off for several days. Farmers were forbidden to tend their sheep on the mountainside. Locals believed the crashed object was removed at night by the military, and the whole event hushed up.

12... Near Livingston, Scotland, November 1979. Forestry worker, Bob Taylor, arrived at Dechmont Forest with his dog, to begin work. When he stepped into a clearing, he saw a large, dark, metallic sphere. As he approached, two smaller, spiked spheres emerged from the object, resembling old naval mines. They had a similar, metallic appearance to the larger object. They sped towards him, flanking him. The dog barked furiously, as the spikes attached themselves to Bob's trousers and pulled him towards the larger sphere. Bob heard a loud hissing, as an acrid smell caused him to choke.

His next memory was waking up face down on the ground. His dog was nearby, but there was no sign of the strange objects. Aching, dishevelled and unable to speak, he crawled to his truck, but couldn't start it, so he walked home. Mrs. Taylor sent for a doctor and the police, who took the incident seriously. Bob returned to the site with them. They saw ladder-shaped imprints in the soil, and track-like impressions which traced the path taken by the spheres.

13... Last but not least - and thank you for sticking with me thus far - is the Roswell, New Mexico incident of 1947. The story, in brief, is that a rancher discovered some strange debris on his land, and informed authorities. The debris included some thin, foil-like metal strips, which could be bent into any shaping without breaking, and would immediately spring back into shape, if twisted and then set down. There was also a wood-like substance that refused to burn. US government sources insisted that the Roswell incident was nothing more than a crashed neoprene balloon, which was part of a secret operation called Moghul. But rumours persist that the military recovered a crashed disk, some dead aliens, and maybe even a live alien. Several deathbed confessions have been made by military personnel, which appear to confirm the crashed UFO/alien rumours.

Anyway, that's my TT for this week. Sorry for such a long post. I hope you enjoyed it and that I've given you something to think about.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

What can I say? I love weird stories and ufo tales. I think probably the "visitors" are so advanced that talking to us for them would be like talking to a hamster for us. Can't be done. What do you say to a hamster? I'm submitting your blog to stumbleupon---I think it's really cool...